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It started out to be a good night, it really did. I was feeling all sorts of peppy and my blood sugar was 125 before dinner - YAY ME.
Speaking of dinner, it was one of my favorites - a homemade Greek yogurt, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, spicy dip that yours truly made from scratch, accompanied fresh famers market veggies and Food Should Taste Good, Multigrain Gluten Free Chips.
I have this very same meal at least week during the summer, sometimes twice a week - except sometimes the dip is made with huge handfuls of fresh basil or dill instead of cilantro and Cayenne pepper instead of jalapeño. But..., I digress.
It’s a simple meal that makes me feel like I’m indulging because of exceptional the crunch factor, except I’m not indulging.
The FSTG chips are easy for me to bolus for - 18 grams of carbs - for 10 chips, times 2 = 36 grams of carbs for the chips. The veggies (sweet peppers, celery and organic carrots,) added extra crunch and yumminess to the mix and very little carbs - not to mention the whole, “being healthy,” thing.
The Greek yogurt was 7 grams of carbs for 5.3 ounces, which in this case was half the dip.
Normally I bolus between 45 and 50 grams and I’m usually right on target for the rest of the night.
Except... last night I wasn’t.
I bolused for/prepped my meal, brought it in front of the TV to eat and yes, I know, I shouldn’t eat in front of the TV, but I wanted to watch episode 5 of the PBS, Masterpiece Theater’s much acclaimed and totally awesome series, Poldark via the on-demand.
Sidebar: Don’t even get me started on Poldark - I’M OBSESSED.
A couple hours later I checked my blood sugar and was 220 - not terrible. Not great, but not terrible.
I gave myself a correction bolus and went about my business.
An hour later I was ready for bed - I could barely keep my eyes open and I was thirsty.
Not a great sign in Kelly’s Big Book of D -and probably not your Big Book of D, either.
So I checked again and my blood sugar was 359.
Then I tested again and it was 361 - And Kelly was not happy.
In fact I uttered a string of four letter words that would make sailor blush and gave myself a 5.4 unit correction bolus - and of course, as soon as the last unit cleared my insulin pump’s screen, I immediately thought that I should have changed my infusion site BEFORE I gave the correction bolus - even thought the site was less then three days old.
20 some minutes later I tested again and it was 418 - not what I wanted to see.
I switched out my 2 day old infusion site and gave myself another correction bolus of 2.5 units, tested for ketones (I had a “small,” amount,) drank a huge glass of water and I waited I also peed because high blood sugars and water not only = ketones, they also = peeing like a race horse. But you already know that.
I was so flipping tired and I just wanted to go to bed. Actually, I was already in bed and had my meter and test strips next me, the bedroom-lights out, the hallway light on and my iPhone in hand.
It was almost midnight and I was afraid of falling asleep before I knew that it was OK to actually sleep. So I logged onto Facebook and posted the following status:
And as long as I’m being honest, it was great to talk with people who ‘got it” while I waited for my blood sugar to start going down.
Talking and connecting with others kept me calm, because sometimes - at least in my case, being upset about a high blood sugar can keep that bg elevated. Talking with some DOC pals was not only great medicine, it was incredibly comforting.
Some of the folks in the FB thread were dealing with the same thing, others were dealing with low blood sugars, and some were dealing with normal blood sugars, but knew what I was feeling and offered their comfort because they knew I needed it.
Some were type 3s and didn’t have diabetes at all, but offered their support just the same. How beautiful is that!
And I appreciated the comfort and the conversation so much.
Sidebar & FTR: I would have post the others Facebook comments, but I haven’t asked them yet - I don't like to post other peoples thoughts without asking.
I feel asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and I woke up with a blood sugar of 101 and feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.
I also felt damn thankful for the Diabetes Online Community for not only “getting it,” but for being there for and with me when I was feeling alone and at my most vulnerable.
THANKS GUYS.
Xoxoxo
I was up last night too, playing the waiting the game. Waiting for my sugar to be high enough to sleep, 61 at 10:30pm isn't going to cut it thankyouverymuch. And just like you, I ate something for dinner that I eat all the time (breakfast) and bolused exactly the amount that normally works perfectly but not this time, for who knows what reason.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you found support and camaraderie online! Being 400+ is NOT FUN, and I know what you mean when you say you feel like you were hit by a truck the next day upon waking, I use that phrase too. I tell myself it is a good sign to feel so poorly after the roller-coaster ride, it means you're usually in good control and your body really notices when things go awry. Haha that is one I have to really work on to feel it, because naturally I feel like "why??? all I did was eat some food, no one deserves this" but that kind of thinking doesn't get you anywhere worth being.
Hope you have a good weekend Kelly!